Parmesan Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

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I sat down to write about Micah's Mac and Cheese, from Faith Durand's Not Your Mother's Casseroles, and realized that I didn't actually make it. The dish I made, a creamy rigatoni with chicken and broccoli, was definitely inspired by Faith's dish. Her's is beautifully simple; mine was more of a meal-in-a-pan. I hope she doesn't disapprove.

You can prepare this casserole a day in advance and pop it in the oven 30 minutes before it's time to eat:

I made a half-recipe of this, but, you know, if you're going to go to all this work then maybe you should double all my amounts and make a full recipe. I think leftovers would be pretty good.

I started 1/2 pound mini rigatoni cooking, then turned to making a creamy Parmesan sauce: I melted 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, then aded 2 tablespoons flour. I cooked this together for a minute or 2, stirring the whole time. Then I whisked in 1 1/4 cup milk, gradually, letting the flour absorb the milk. I brought the milk mixture to a simmer and let it thicken.

We had had rotisserie chicken and broccoli for dinner the night before, so I threw the leftover cooked chicken and broccoli in the sauce. Then I added 1/2 cup grated Parmesan.

I mixed in the cooked pasta and another 1/2 cup Parmesan, then spread in a 9-inch square baking pan. I sprinkled more Parmesan on top, covered with foil and baked it for 30 minutes at 350F. At that point I removed the foil and baked for 5 minutes more. Let sit for 5 minutes, then served.